Barbora Žagarietė
Barbora Žagarietė (about 1628 – 1648 year). According to continuos 400 narrative and written tradition, Barbora Žagarietė was born at the beginning of the 17 th century. She distinguished herself bu heroic Christian virtues and died under obscure circumstances. The old Žagarė church stands on the hill named after her.
Historicity of Barbora Žagarietė
It is known that the identity of the virgin of Žagarė was first officially mentioned by the Bishop of Samogitia Antanas Tiškevičius. In his report to the Holy See in 1755 he wrote: "I suppose it is worth mentioning one virgin's, dear to God, mortal remains. Among the living there is no one who could know this virgin's name or descent - only in a dream she has appeared to some people and named herself Barbora". Making reference to a story passed from lip to lip just a few years after her death, an extraordinary event initiated the cult of Barbora believing that she is a mediatrix and intercessor before God. When during one of the military interventions of the Swedish troops into Lithuania in the 17 th century the invaders robbed and burnt down the Old Žagarė church together with the mortal remains of the deceased in the crypt, the body of Barbora, found in the ashes after the fire was intact, only blackened. Having no doubts about the truthfulness of that unusual incident, Bishop Antanas Tiškevičius in the above mentioned report to the Holy See continued: "Though submerged in the ashes of the dead, untouched by the roaring fire, not burnt in any part, including the hair - the unharmed body of the virgin was taken out of the ashes and laid respectfully into a coffin as a true witness of God's might and her merits. Even now it is intact, only blackened". In the same document, the Bishop of Samogitia prior to describing seven miraccles that had been brought through Barbara's intercession in 1735 - 1748 noted: "A great number of the ill-fated, tormented by incurable illnesses seek safety at the virgin's coffin and in no time experience it. The narration would become immensely wide if all the eliminated ailments were at least run over".
Prohibitions to Venerate Barbora Žagarietė
After having transferred the mortal remains of Barbora to the crypt of the rebuilt Old Žagarė church in 1714, o few centuries lasting public devotness for the virgin of Žagarė started and has never clased ever since believing that she is saint. In 1878, when Lithuania was enduring the yoke of the tsarist Russia, on the orders of the occupational authorities the crypt with the remains of Barbara was walled up. However, the attempts to weaken the faith to God through Barbora's intercession in that way were fruitless. On the contrary, when nineteen years' later repairing the church the body of the virgin was found still intact - the devotion for Barbora grew to a great extent.
History of the Mortal Remains of Barbora Žagarietė
The remains of Barbora Žagarietė reposed in a glass coffin in the crypt of the church beneath the High altar. Since the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union in 1940, the attacks against the phenomenon of Barbora Žagariete had never stopped. Hostility had become especially strong in the period of 1957 - 1963. In 1963, the occupational administration had the church shut down and the mortal remains of Barbora taken somewhere. Nowadays, only a symbolic casket in the same crypt and a memorial tablet on its entrance door remind us about the wirgin herself. To get deeper into the remarkable life of Barbora Žagariete, further search of the documents in the archives is carried out, examination and registration of the testimonies of witnesses are implemented. Resent excavation work attempting to find a possible burial site of Barbora has not given any results.